One Man's Folly
by The Ansembly
Summary: After a devastating accident, Xehanort doubted that Kingdom Hearts would ever be unlocked. But when pieces begin falling back into place, Xehanort finds it difficult to resist the temptation to try again, even as the stakes grow ever higher. Variation of Birth By Sleep.
1. The Most Worthy Pursuit

' _Dare I believe it? It is happening, there and now! My own apprentice: wielder of the X-Blade!_ ' Master Xehanort couldn't help but rejoice aloud, "Yes, Ventus! Yes! Now unlock Kingdom Hearts' great doors! For your master, and for all worlds!"

A terrible spiraling wind tore up a layer of rocks and dust around Ventus on the plains below. The boy flashed back and forth between pure white and deepest black, and as he lifted the long yellow blade above his head, it took control of his gravity and lifted him effortlessly from the ground.

Twenty people encircled around the boy, protecting their eyes from the dust storm, stubbornly holding their ground with their own keyblades gripped tightly in the hands.

Xehanort winced in anticipation. The twenty keyblade wielders would soon be at the end of their respective roles in this reenactment of the Keyblade War, and Xehanort felt vaguely sorry for them. Although their relentless hatred for each other seemed to come so naturally to them, Xehanort regretted the fact that they wouldn't have fought if he hadn't orchestrated this get-together, and the fact that they were individually capable of so much good. " _Oh well,_ " Xehanort thought to himself. ' _Such is the way of all worlds. Lesser goods must be sacrificed if greater goods are to be reached._ ' So he waited uneasily for his apprentice to wipe them from the face of the earth.

Suddenly all, including Xehanort, felt a gravitational pull towards the X-Blade. Xehanort drew his own keyblade and anchored it into the ground, keeping him from getting sucked towards his apprentice down below. The other wielders tried similar modes of grounding themselves, but the ground eroded from beneath them, and some of their keyblades were cracked as beams of light shot out from the great blade. Another huge pulling reached across the plains, and a black fog accompanied the bright beams of light as the whole area was caught up in the display.

In a terrifying turn of events, each of the wielders' keyblades broke into two. One part of each keyblade was absorbed into the X-Blade. The other part was destroyed by it. Then one by one, the twenty keyblade wielders on the open plain fell to their knees before the authority of the X-Blade. Once they did so, beams of light and darkness emitted from their hearts and fed the X-Blade even more power. Once all of them were kneeling, the boy himself fell to his knees and beheld the blade in his hands, still pointing it towards the dark clouded sky. It swirled with energy of all colors. Xehanort allowed a pleasant smile to manifest. ' _So the other wielders didn't have to die after all. Is Fate kinder than I supposed?_ '

The ritual continued. Assured of his victory over the other worlds, Ventus embraced the X-Blade as an entity apart and lifted it in triumph. A white and black laser shot forth from its end, parting the clouds up above. A bright blue light suddenly poured upon the darkened world, leaving every single person there gasping at the majesty unveiled.

Above them all, very distant yet very real, was Kingdom Hearts.

As the black and white laser continued to pulse, the Great Moon grew closer and closer to them.

But then the Moon stopped. The laser flickered with uncertainty. Clouds began to obscure that glorious blue light.

Xehanort looked down at Ventus, alarm and fear and rage igniting in his brain. ' _DON'T FALTER NOW!_ ' he screamed to his apprentice mentally. As though his thoughts were transmitted, Ventus suddenly looked his way. The boy's eyes were glowing with the same black and white, and Xehanort felt those sharp pupils piercing into his soul, even at this distance. There was a sensation of the apprentice turned god probing into his thoughts, so Xehanort quickly backed away from the ledge, out of that boy's sight.

A sudden force pulled the old master back towards his apprentice. Like a giant invisible hand, it took Xehanort across the distance and placed him directly before the X-Blade's host.

Ventus spoke. " **Why do you resist? You know the philosophy as well as I, yet you withhold your favor. Do you know something that I do not?** "

"No, of course not!" Xehanort tried to assure him. "I simply express my thoughts differently!"

Those piercing eyes saw straight through him.

" **Liar.** "

Xehanort hissed at the immense pressure he was under. ' _Why didn't those worthless texts say anything about the Wielder's enhanced discernment?! Curse those fools!_ '

" **Silence!** " the boy commanded. " **Why do you resist?!** " Tears began streaming from Ventus' eyes as the light faded from them, returning them to their usual green. " **Why don't you believe?!** Have you been deceiving me all this time?! Master!?"

Xehanort choked on his words as he was released safely to the ground. The sky was dark as Kingdom Hearts was already sealed and out of sight once more. The X-Blade faded in and out of existence.

Xehanort acted quickly. "No, no, no! That's not true at all!"

Ventus seethed, "It is true. I could hear it."

"... Yes, it is true," Xehanort admitted. "But that's because I'm old! I'm set in my ways! You must ignore me!"

Ventus' face was red with tears. "No…"

"Listen to your master," Xehanort continued. "There will always be those too stubborn to believe in better ways, and your old master is one of them."

The boy frowned viciously. "Stop lying! I know you're not weak!"

Xehanort scowled, "Ventus! Forget about me! You must! For yourself, and for all worlds! If you know it to be true, you don't need anyone else to believe with you!"

"But, Master!"

"Don't betray the X-Blade!"

Ventus froze. He slowly looked down at the X-Blade in his grip. It was cold and heavy, yet it still glowed with a dim yellow light. Ventus inhaled, held the air, then released.

Making final eye contact with Xehanort, Ventus told him, "The X-Blade will not tolerate one who refuses to submit. If you cannot change, leave now. You will not be able to enter Kingdom Hearts, but you will survive. ... You shall always be remembered as my honored master." Ventus bowed.

Xehanort bowed in return. "Farewell, my magnificent apprentice."

Xehanort quickly summoned a large dark keyblade glider, reminiscent of a long thick motorcycle, and flew away into the distance on it.

A little after the old man was gone from sight, Ventus gripped the X-Blade with both hands. The other keyblade wielders had run away, but now that the X-Blade was firmly established, he didn't need them anymore. He didn't need anyone anymore.

Allowing the tears to run down his face, Ventus pointed the X-Blade towards the sky once more.

Xehanort glanced over his shoulder as he flew. A black and white laser once again split the horizon. He sighed heavily. ' _How long have I dreamt of seeing the other side of Kingdom Hearts? Oh well. At least I'll still be around to be of some use somehow._ '

A sonic boom suddenly pounded Xehanort's ear drums, and a powerful shockwave of sickly cold energy roared past, sending Xehanort's glider plowing into the dirt. Xehanort quickly regained control and faced the energy's source.

He couldn't muster a single word. He merely stared at the massive grey tornado rising all the way to the clouds. It pulsated with pale green energy, and multicolored lightning crashed all around it.

' _That's... not right._ '

Xehanort zoomed towards the vortex, fully aware of how reckless he was being. The keyblade master leaped off his vehicle and dove headfirst into the wall of cloud. The vehicle transformed back into a keyblade and followed swiftly after its wielder.

The cloud wall was thin, and Xehanort use a protect spell to ensure he would make it all the way down to ground unharmed. He landed behind his apprentice. The boy was clutching the X-Blade tightly, but it had grown unnaturally heavy, pinning his legs to the dry rumbling earth. Ventus was leaning over the weapon protectively, as though the terrible forces in the tornado would snatch it away from him.

"VENTUS!" Xehanort yelled above the din.

Ventus' head lifted up suddenly. The wind and lightning continued, but without sound. The air was without sensation.

Ventus stood. He started to turn, stopped, started to turn the other way, stopped, then started to turn the other way, and stopped. He began to twitch.

Xehanort stood still, watching the back of the boy's head for twenty long seconds, then with hesitation tried, "Ventus-"

The boy suddenly turned. He was holding the X-Blade with both hands, and with a sudden jerk of his muscles, the blade snapped along its length into a sword of darkness and a sword of light. One of Ventus' eyes was pure white now. The other was entirely black. With the white sword, he lashed out at his master. With the black sword, he blocked his own attack. Each arm attacked the other, and before Xehanort could stop him, Ventus had impaled his own heart with both the keyblades. His eyes flushed a deep grey, and he groaned and fell on his face, lodging the swords in up to their hilts. The tornado disappeared, leaving the desert world dark and still once more.

"Ventus!" Xehanort yelled as he dropped to his knees, rolled the boy over, and tried to remove the swords. "Ventus! What are you doing?! How could you do this to yourself?! What do you have to say for yourself?!"

Ventus stared coldly at the empty sky with a thin cynical grin. The grin was stifled, and his eyes changed from red to blue. His expression became troubled, changing the blue to green. Then the grin returned, and his eyes became red once more. Then with a single gasp, the life left his eyes altogether, leaving them a dull green.

Xehanort spat, "If that's the way it's going to be, then you leave me no choice! Ventus, you have failed! Join me now in the exile of darkness everlasting!"

Xehanort stood up, raised his keyblade, and stabbed it into the already twice-impaled chest.

Ventus shook, convulsed, and… cackled. Loudly. It was such a sound as would make anyone recoil. Xehanort was no exception. The boy grabbed Xehanort's keyblade, pulled it out of his chest, yanked it from the old master's hands and tossed it to the side. Pulling the blade of darkness out too, Ventus gripped it firmly, changing it into a full-fledged keyblade. The boy lifted unnaturally up to a standing position and, grinning broadly, stumbled forward as his master continued to step back.

Ventus reared back with the dark keyblade, froze, and scowled at his free hand as it drew the other sword out of his chest and turned it into a keyblade.

Both keyblades pulsed in and out of existence. Ventus trembled and began to scream. The keyblades vanished as he held his head in utter anguish. He fell to the ground and rolled around, screeching, "Fools! Idiots! You're wrong! You're all wrong! There is nothing! Nothing at all! Nothing, nothing, nothing, noth _-_ "

Xehanort cast a sleep spell on the child.

Summoning his keyblade glider once more, Xehanort secured his broken apprentice to the back seat, climbed into the driver's seat, and swore to himself, "I will never try to summon Kingdom Hearts again!"


	2. A Heart Divided

Ventus took note of the scenery. The badlands gave way to grassy fields, then a river came and went, and soon the ruins of an ancient civilization were splayed out ahead. Behind them, the storm from the Keyblade Graveyard was still in pursuit.

Looking forward, he caught Master Xehanort gaping at him with astonishment. The expression was gone a moment later, but he knew what it had been about. ' _He thought he could keep me bound by that sleeping spell, didn't he?_ ' he thought. ' _Well, too bad... Wait, what?_ '

"How long have you been awake, Ventus?"

The Master was trying a casual approach. Ventus shrugged. "The whole time, _Master_." Ventus winced. He hadn't intended his response to sound so sarcastic… had he?

If Master Xehanort detected the disrespectful tone, he didn't react outwardly. He simply said, "Then I'm sure you're wondering where we are headed."

Ventus gritted his teeth. ' _What is this, some kind of game? If he intends to tell me, he should go ahead and do so!_ '

Xehanort revealed, "We are going to see Master Eraqus. You remember Master Eraqus, don't you?"

Ventus didn't answer.

Xehanort continued, "Well, if you forgot, he's a keyblade master who specializes in the authority of Light."

Ventus berated himself internally. ' _Reply to your master when he speaks to you! Stop acting like a child!_ '

A bitter reply came from within. ' _Who are you calling child?_ _You were the one who was too immature to complete the X-Blade._ '

' _There's nothing wrong with me,_ ' Ventus told himself. ' _I did everything I was told._ '

' _What are you? Some kind of puppet?_ ' came the reply. _'And who are you trying to kid? You just had to give dear old Master a free pass. Just had to let him get away with rejecting the ultimate authority. Every decent keyblade wielder knows that they should never give out special favors!_ '

' _What was I supposed to do?'_ Ventus sulked. ' _Condemn my Master? My only friend, the one who taught me, trained me, gave me purpose? Without him, I wouldn't even know about the X-Blade.'_

' _You were supposed to succeed! You should have done anything and everything it took to fulfill your purpose! Master Xehanort himself knows there's no cause more worthy! He would have understood!_ '

' _Just be quiet. It's too late anyway._ '

' _No, it's not. Condemn him now, and we can complete the X-Blade._ '

' _No._ '

' _No? No?! Who are you to say no?!_ '

"Do you understand, Ventus?"

Ventus became aware that his master had been talking to him the entire time, and he hadn't registered a word of it. "Uh… I wasn't listening."

Master Xehanort couldn't conceal how angered he was by being ignored. Ventus lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry, Master. I should have been paying attention."

Master Xehanort nodded. "That's fine. I'll say it again. When did you stop listening?"

"You said we're going to see Master Eraqus."

"... Ah. Well, that's at the very beginning, isn't it?"

Ventus hung his head in shame.

Master Xehanort repeated, "We are going to visit Master Eraqus because your heart has been injured. I have sensed within you the distinctive grip of the Void. If left unchecked, it could lead to an inability to use any keyblade, let alone the great X-Blade."

' _He means you've dabbled in anarchy, Ventus. You didn't defend what you believed. You refused to condemn Xehanort for rejecting the X-Blade's authority._ '

' _There has to be another way._ '

' _There doesn't, and there isn't. He should be dead right now._ '

' _Just… Shut up. I'm trying to listen._ '

' _No, you shut up. How long do you intend to play the role of a student? Blindly following him wherever he leads you… Do you really believe this can go on forever? You were meant for more than this, Ventus._ '

Ventus rolled his eyes. It was at that exact moment that his master turned around to see if he was still paying attention.

It took Ventus a moment to realize the reason for his master's sudden silence and appalled expression. "No! That wasn't directed towards you, Master! I was just- I just- I've been dealing with these strange thoughts lately… They've been giving me trouble!"

Xehanort frowned. "What kind of thoughts?"

Ventus bit his lip. How could he tell Xehanort that his thoughts were directed towards his demise?

"Answer me, Ventus."

Ventus glanced at the storm that was still following them. "It's… hard to explain."

"Well, try."

Ventus groaned. "I… I think there may still be a way for me to fix the X-Blade."

Xehanort suddenly lifted in his seat, emerging from a heavy despair that Ventus should have recognized earlier. "Really? How? What do we have to do? Spit it out, my boy!"

Ventus gritted his teeth. "I can't, Master! It'd be too terrible!"

' _Pathetic. What's one old man's life?_ '

"We've been over this, Ventus! No matter the cost in the present, we must always look to the future! What must we do to unlock Kingdom Hearts? You must tell me!"

' _You heard your master! Tell him already!_ '

Xehanort glared for a while, then turned around and landed the vehicle on the roof of the town's tallest tower. He faced Ventus again and waited for the boy to say something. Anything.

Ventus stared at his hands in his lap, refusing to make eye contact, refusing to speak, refusing to acknowledge his master's patient wait for the answer he could never divulge.

' _Pathetic. You are absolutely pathetic._ '

' _It wouldn't be just him._ '

' _So what? If they deserve it, then so it must be._ '

' _I would have to kill anyone who resists. Where's the Light in that?_ '

' _What world have you been living on? Light has always been that way._ '

' _Then what about the Darkness?_ '

' _What about it? Yes, the X-Blade is part Light and part Darkness, but do you really believe that the X-Blade is at odds with itself? If anything, the Darkness enables the Light. It serves the Light. Get that through your head._ '

Ventus shifted uncomfortably, trying to ignore Master Xehanort's gaze while he processed his feelings. ' _But isn't Kingdom Hearts for people? Why should the X-Blade-_ '

' _Who said Kingdom Hearts was made for people? Perhaps people were made for Kingdom Hearts. Did you ever consider that?_ '

' _But that wouldn't make any sense!_ '

' _What? Is Kingdom Hearts not good enough for your logic?_ '

' _Without logic, it's just a game!_ '

' _A game you were made to play._ '

' _It'd be meaningless! Pointless!_ '

' _And how would that be different from your life otherwise?_ '

Ventus' thoughts came to a halt.

Ventus spoke aloud. "I… can't."

' _You mean won't._ '

Master Xehanort searched Ventus' expression... and found his answer. He inhaled and stared at the dark horizon. "I... see. I-" He released his breath. "But, Ventus… We both know... We know that humanity was never meant to live apart from Kingdom Hearts. It was man's folly that drove Kingdom Hearts away... so it must be man's sacrifice to bring it back."

Ventus wiped his face, untied his restraints and slid off of the keyblade glider. "Then… Then this… Goodbye... Master."

Master Xehanort gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

Ventus summoned his keyblade. It was just an ordinary keyblade.

' _Do you remember the way?_ '

Ventus scowled, then nodded.

' _There is only one reality. Therefore, there can only be one righteousness. One right way of doing things. One code of ethics. Anything and everything else is wrong and evil, and is deserving of punishment._ ' The keyblade morphed into its black and white form. Ventus looked at his master. Xehanort was still sitting on his glider, eyes closed…

' _Rejecting this truth is the epitome of evil. Those who know this truth… and reject it… are deserving of… of…_ '

' _What's wrong, Ventus? Still wavering?_ '

' _I just don't get it!_ '

' _What don't you get?! You're stalling again._ '

' _No. I don't get why… why it's fine for me to second guess several times, but if someone else second-guesses, they must die?_ '

' _It's because you're too valuable to lose. No one else is capable of reforging the X-Blade._ '

' _But why me?_ '

' _Because it's your purpose! It's always been your purpose, so stop meandering and do what you should have done on day one!_ '

Ventus squeezed the hilt of the weapon. It cracked under the pressure. Ventus inhaled and held the weapon tenderly, feeling it repair itself beneath his fingers. He gripped the handle with confidence. This time it felt sturdy and metallic.

He took a step towards Master Xehanort. Then another. And another. He could see the old man shaking with dread.

Ventus felt the extreme temperatures of the bichromatic weapon.

He stood up straight. A grin spread across his face, and the keyblade mutated in his hands. " **Wait. I've got a better idea,** " he said aloud, his voice distorted. The blade was now glowing yellow. " **Since this really is the one true authority, then surely it has the power to change anyone's mind, right?** "

Xehanort opened his eyes. "No keyblade has ever had the ability to forcibly change a person's mind."

" **I know that,** " Ventus said with a roll of his eyes. " **But I don't need to rewrite anything. It'll be so natural, you'll think it's your own epiphany. Just listen to the X-Blade's heart, and you shall believe!** "

Ventus lunged. Xehanort's glider transformed back into a keyblade and automatically blocked Ventus' attack. Ventus scowled and attacked again. Xehanort grabbed his own keyblade and held it down, keeping it from blocking again. The reforged X-Blade pierced Xehanort's chest, and Xehanort didn't try to remove it. If anything, he struggled to let it take, to believe in the X-Blade's authority.

Ventus poured all his faith into the X-Blade, and its power flowed through Xehanort's body.

Ventus was flung backwards. He tumbled twice. Jumping to his feet, Ventus beheld Master Xehanort covered in silver white armor, his keyblade No Name in hand.

" **So your keyblade has a mind of its own, huh?** " Ventus managed a smile. " **Don't worry, Master! I'll set you free from that abomination!** "

No reply escaped the suit of armor. It sprouted jagged wings and dashed away.

Ventus jumped skyward and zoomed after it.

Xehanort's armor tried to hide in the dense storm clouds, but Ventus found it all too quickly. It blocked a barrage of attacks from the X-Blade and tried to escape again. Again Ventus found it, and again it protected itself and flew away into the fog.

" **Enough!** " Ventus shouted, raising the X-Blade above his head. An x-shaped scar of bright light tore outwards from it across the atmosphere. Soon nothing could be seen but light.

Suddenly, darkness.

Ventus was falling.

Above him, Xehanort's armor brought its keyblade to its side with a swing of finality.

' _Anarchy,_ ' Ventus discerned. ' _That was pure anarchy. The Void's own Keyblade._ '

A barren cobblestone street was approaching fast. Ventus tried to fly. He continued to fall. He tried to summon his keyblade glider. Not even his normal keyblade appeared.

' _Are we about to die?_ '

The wind continued to rush by.

' _Obviously._ '

Ventus tried to summon his keyblade again.

' _This shouldn't happen!_ '

No keyblade.

' _Just shut up. It's all too obvious now._ _There is no such thing as "should." There never has been._ '

A dark energy wrapped around Ventus' body and stopped his descent. It placed him safely on the ground next to a large dry fountain. Master Xehanort, free from his armor, landed next to Ventus, keyblade in hand.

"Ventus… I'm sorry. I was a fool for thinking No Name wouldn't react the way it did." Xehanort glanced the black and silver weapon, then noticed Ventus' empty hands. "Ventus… You can still… use a keyblade, right?"

Ventus glared at the man. "No, I can't, and I don't see why you can. What kind of a keyblade doesn't believe in authority at all?! Where does it get its power?!"

Xehanort exhaled, lifted his keyblade, and pointed it at Ventus' face. Before Ventus could react, strange magic was dancing around his head, and his mind became blurry. His world became simpler. His anger began to fade.

' _I'm losing memories!_ '


End file.
